Chapter 3 – Days 13 to 21 – Oxford & Buxton, UK

When we arrived in Oxford, we were greeted warmly by my parents, grand ma’s and brother Michael. Louise and Marley were to arrive the next day and the nine of us would be staying in an Airbnb for the next 4 days to celebrate my other brothers wedding.

About an hour or so after we arrived we walked down the road to the local pub to meet Andrew and Jess, the soon to be married couple, and their other friends and family members who had arrived for the big occasion. It was a lovely summer evening.

Day 13

The following day, Ben and I accompanied Ma (my mum’s Mum) and Nan (my dad’s Mum) around Oxford. After a bit of a detour in the wrong direction, we found ourselves at a cute little café. Nan and Ma both enjoyed a scone with their tea before we moved on to find Christ Church. Due to a function, we didn’t go in however Nan and Ma decided they would return on Sunday to attend the church service. Next, we visited the Bodleian Library. The tour was interesting and the library it self was incredible with it’s old books.

That evening, we enjoyed a night in with the grandma’s, Michael, Louise and Marley playing video games on our iPhones and eating burritos.

Day 14

The big day finally arrived and the morning was spent in front of the mirror preparing. At 1pm we all stood to watch Jess walk down the isle with a very happy and loving smile across her face as she looked at Andrew standing at the alter who shared the same adoring look. The ceremony was lovely and so was the reception, which were held at Kebel College and Balliol College.

Day 15

It’s fair to say that this day was a fairly uneventful one. We spent the morning relaxing and recovering. Around lunch time we met at another local pub for some lunch before I made my way back to the Airbnb to relax while Ben went to see the Tolkien Exhibition with Michael. That evening, the nine of us gathered at a local restaurant called Branca for an Italian dinner.

Day 16

The next day we all packed into 3 cars and spent at least 20 minutes playing Tetris trying to fit all our luggage in. On the way to Buxton we stopped in at Rhodes house to see where Andrew and Jess spent a good amount of time during their first year in the UK. We also stopped at Shakespeare’s village for lunch by which point it was closer to afternoon tea time. By 7pm, after driving through the beautiful Moors, we arrived in Buxton.

Day 17

Day 1 in Buxton was a nice one, we accompanied Mum, Louise and Nan to the local markets where we picked up some fresh produce. We then went across the road to the butcher where we held up a line of people by ordering enough meat to feed 10 people for the week.

The afternoon was spent with Ben and I in the kitchen. After over 2 weeks of travel, it was great to be back with a knife on the chopping board. That night, we served a succulent roast lamb for dinner.

Day 18

The following day, we drove in convey to Chatsworth House leaving Michael, Marley and Ben to their own devices. Chatsworth House was fairly incredible due to the sheer size of it and wealth it represented. The grounds were expansive with flower gardens, ponds, mazes and rock sculptures. We ate lunch in the courtyard of one of the buildings before heading home to prepare dinner for the evening.

That night, after a dinner of Steak cooked on a charcoal BBQ and Potato Bake, we sat around the coffee table in the sitting room playing Avalon (a game of deception).

Day 19

This day was one of my highlights because we finally got out in nature. Marley, Louise, Michael, Ben and I went for a drive and found a large dam surrounded by a luscious green Forrest with a walking path. Along the way we found raspberry bushes which we stopped to pick at. At the other end of the dam we climbed the hill to get a better view and Louise decided to roll down the grassy slope, which was quite entertaining to watch.

On the way back to our accomodation, we stopped at a tavern on a hill and were welcomed by friendly staff. That evening we made spaghetti bolognese (with the option of zucchini noodles) and played a game of 500.

Day 20

After having spent the last few days driving around, Ben and I decided to spend the day in relaxing and cooking. For dinner that evening we made chicken leek and bacon pie and a pumpkin pie. For dessert we had chocolate tart with clotted cream ice cream. I think this was my favourite meal of the week! That evening, we played another game of Avalon with a few more people.

Day 21

After such an amazing couple of weeks together, it was time to split the group apart. Ma had left the previous day, Andrew and Jess left for Vienna, Marley and Louise began their journey home to Australia dropping Ben and I in London on the way. The four hour car ride was a pleasant one and went by quickly. Before we knew it, we were standing on the street in Wapping, London, just the two of us waving Marley and Louise goodbye as the drove off.

And there ends chapter 3. Check out the video below while you wait for Chapter 4.